According to sources close to Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire experienced signs of suspected poisoning while attending peace negotiations on the Ukraine-Belarus border earlier this month. Sore eyes and peeling skin were said to have plagued the Chelsea FC owner, who has now recovered.
Two Ukrainian peace negotiators were also injured. The suspected poisoning was arranged by Russian hardliners who intended to derail the discussions, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Russian Investigator Says Roman Abramovich Is not Expected to Die
Ihor Zhovkva, a spokesman for the Ukrainian president, told the BBC that while he hadn't talked to Roman Abramovich, members of the Ukrainian delegation were "good" and that one had indicated the allegation was "fake."
However, as BBC security journalist Frank Gardner points out, it's not unexpected that the US would seek to downplay claims that anybody - particularly Russia - deployed a chemical weapon in Ukraine since this may lead to retaliatory action that the US is hesitant to do.
The event sheds insight on Abramovich's alleged position as a middleman in Ukraine-Russia discussions. His specific role is unknown. However, a spokesman for the oligarch earlier stated that his influence was limited.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Sunday that Roman Abramovich had assisted him in de-escalating Russia's incursion. At the beginning of the month, the Russian billionaire went between Moscow and Kyiv for multiple rounds of negotiations. During the trip, he allegedly saw Zelensky, but the Ukrainian president was unaffected, and his spokesman had no information about the event, as per BBC.
Meanwhile, the primary investigator who discovered Roman Abramovich's poisoning stated that the chemical attack was meant to remind the billionaire and others not to undermine the Kremlin. The billionaire oligarch was not expected to die in the poisoning, which also harmed two Ukrainian negotiators, according to Christo Grozev, the main Russia investigator for the investigative news source Bellingcat.
Foreign Officials Says Poisoning Incident is "Very Concerning"
The poisoning attempt during peace talks in Kyiv on March 3 was very concerning, according to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), which added that the UK will continue to assist by imposing tough sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime as well as providing defensive and humanitarian assistance to put Ukraine in the "best possible negotiating position."
Roman Abramovich's spokesman acknowledged Wednesday that the billionaire had experienced the alleged symptoms after eating chocolate and drinking water but declined to provide any other information. Red eyes, painful pouring eyes, and peeling skin on their cheeks and hands plagued Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and two senior members of the Ukrainian club.
According to a source, Abramovich went blind for many hours after accepting a Ukrainian plea to assist in negotiating an end to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He was treated at a hospital in Turkey, according to Daily Mail.
Following the alleged poisoning of Roman Abramovich, negotiators in the Russia-Ukraine peace talks have been advised not to eat or drink. Hardliners in Moscow have been accused of the purported strike, claiming they seek to disrupt peace efforts.
Meanwhile, in Istanbul, Turkey, Russian and Ukrainian delegates are beginning face-to-face peace negotiations for the first time in more than a week, The Sun reported.
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